The Nigerian Army Direct Short Service Course is open to all eligible Nigerians. The beauty of it is that both civilians and military personnel can apply for the program.

Both of them are placed on the same scale and they are taken through the same measure of screening, interview and examination before the applicants are considered worthy of admission.

Before a serving military person can apply for this program and be given admission, he/she must be sponsored by any of the branches of the Nigerian Armed Forces to any civil institution. If not, his/her application will never be considered.

A number of programs are available under the Nigerian Army Direct Short Service Course. Some of the successful applicants will be trained to become part of the Nigerian Army Medical Corps.

Some other ones will be trained to become part of the Directorate of Army Aviation. Some other ones are trained to be part of the Directorate of Chaplain Services, which can be divided into Protestants and Roman Catholic.

Others are trained as part of Directorate of Islamic Affairs. There are also some trained as members of Directorate of Legal Service. The last form of training under the Nigerian Army Direct Short Service Course is the Directorate of Army Public Relations.

Entry requirements

Some of the requirements needed to be qualified for any of the courses mentioned above under Nigerian Army Direct Short Service are highlighted below:

The individual applying for this program is expected to be a citizen of Nigeria. This is according to the standing law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The individual must be between the ages of 22 and 35 years old. He/she can be a male or female. If the person is applying as a medical consultant, he/she must not be over 40 years of age as at the time he/she is applying for the course.

The applicant must be fit physically, mentally and medically before his application can be given any consideration. He/she must present evidence of such fitness as at the time of applying. In actual fact, all applicants are taken through series of test to determine their levels of fitness physically, mentally and medically.

The individual must be given recommendation by minimum of 2 individuals and these individuals must be recognizable people in the society. They are required to attest to the integrity and character of the applicant. The individual that can give such recommendation may be Secretary or Chairman of the applicant’s Local Government of origin. It can also be a military personnel starting from the rank of a Lieutenant Colonel. Police officers starting from the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police too can give such recommendation. The military or police personnel to give such recommendations must originate from the state of origin of the applicant. The person providing the recommendation is equally required to attach his/her passport photograph to the said recommendation letter.

Aside the above, the applicant is equally required to provide letter of attestation from the institution he/she graduated from.

The applicant is expected to be up to 1.68 m height for male and 1.65 m for female.

He/she must never have been convicted of any crime by a court of law before. If the applicant is military personnel, he/she must be free of any form of military disciplinary case. The Commanding Officer of the military applicant is expected to attest to this.

Anyone applying for any of the course is expected to have graduated from either a recognized university or polytechnic. Also, he/she must graduate with minimum of Second Class Lower degree or Lower Credit.

The applicant must possess a valid birth certificate and such certificate is expected to be endorsed by National Population Commission, Local Government Council or recognized hospital. The applicant can equally present affidavit from a court of law attesting to the individual’s age declaration.

The individual must also have valid state of origin certificate.

If the applicant is a civilian that has graduated from either a university or polytechnic, he/she is expected to also present NYSC certificate or valid exemption letter.

If the applicant has any professional qualification, he/she must present document that authenticate his/her registration with such professional bodies. These professional bodies must be recognized by Nigerian Laws.

Contact details of the applicant must also be provided during the application. Also, the candidate must provide his/her phone number as well as those of his/her parents or guardians and also Next of Kin.

It is forbidden for candidates o have any tattoo or inscription on their bodies. Any such candidate will be automatically disqualified.

All the original copies of certificates obtained by the applicant during education years must be presented by the candidate. The candidate must present all credentials from primary to tertiary institution.

If the applicant is a serving military personnel, he/she must be have valid military identity card as well as letter of recommendation from his/her Commander or Commanding Officer. Additionally, such applicant must provide valid letters indicating Nigerian Army sponsorship in any valid tertiary academic institution. The individual must also have served in any unit of the Nigerian Army for minimum of 5 years.

It is forbidden for any of the applicants to be member of any secret fraternity, society or cult.

If the applicant is a female, she is advised to seek commission into medical, Legal service, Public Relations or any of the special corps.

Method of application

In order to apply, visit www.nigerianarmyms.ng. First create an account and make sure you read the Qualification Criteria properly. Select DSSC application from the Home Page.

You will be sent an email notification afterwards, which contains your login details. Then, click on Login in order to complete the application form. Make sure all the necessary documents are attached to the online application form.